19 People Injured in Fireworks Accident at 'Rheinkirmes' Festival in Germany
19 people, including at least one child, were injured following an explosion of one of the fireworks during the popular 'Rheinkirmes' festival in the German city of Dusseldorf. The police reported that four of the injured are in serious condition, while the cause of the explosion is still unknown.
The incident occurred on the evening of Friday, July 18 during a large fireworks display, where a projectile exploded at a low altitude. The police stated that the incident was 'accidental,' prompting the organizers to end the event early around 10:45 p.m., even though the festival was supposed to continue until the early hours of the morning.
Fire and rescue teams responded by sending 80 personnel to the scene, and the rescue and intervention operations took about two hours. The last injured person was transported to the hospital an hour after the explosion, but the festival spokesperson confirmed that 'only a few of the injured required hospital transport.'
Organizers expressed their 'deep regret' in a statement about the incident, indicating that they will review 'whether the tradition of fireworks display will continue at the festival next year.' This incident occurred at the conclusion of the festival, which began a week ago and was scheduled to end on Sunday.
The 'Rheinkirmes' festival is one of the prominent popular celebrations in Dusseldorf, organized by the 'St. Sebastianus' shooting club, founded over 700 years ago, in celebration of their patron saint, St. Apollinaris, on July 23.
This year, the festival featured a massive drone show, the largest of its kind in Germany, with a thousand drone light sculptures in the sky for 20 minutes, accompanied by music, on the first and second days of the event.
The festival takes place on a 165,000 square meter area on the left bank of the Rhine River, with over 300 exhibitors participating, attracting thousands of visitors annually.
